


Doc C's Failed Experiments

by Doc_Cairo



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-12-02 00:14:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20945474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doc_Cairo/pseuds/Doc_Cairo
Summary: AKA: A scraps collection, of interesting but unfinished ideas.





	1. We are the Bad Guys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I think I wrote this like, a week after "Into the Spiderverse" hit theaters. And it shows.

“So… have you tried… not being bad?” Steven asked the dopplegangers across from Connie and himself. The other Connie gave a frustrated sigh.

“That tears it.” She said to the other Steven.

“I know honey.” He replied.

“I said… if this happened AGAIN…”

“I know.”

“You're not gonna take it personally?”

“Of course not.”

“Ok.”

A second later, two green scimitar were drawn from the gem on her left forearm as she lunged at Steven, who blocked it with his shield. Connie took a swing at her doppelganger forcing her to somersault back. Steven shot the dopplegangers a questioning look.

“Literally the ninth time today some lame alternate me has tried to lecture us on morality.” The other Steven explained. “I told Connie she could beat up the next one to try it.”

“Evil mirror universe counterparts…” The real Connie muttered. “Was not expecting this trope.”

“I kinda was…” Steven admitted. “At least, I was prepared for it after that hourglass business.”

“Hey, we aren't EVIL.” The other Connie protested. “I know what kinda life you two have here. You have no idea what ours have been like.”

* * *

Steven B. Universe was not born out of love.

It was a job.

Greg B. Universe was not a musician. He was an agent. A spy. A hitman. Well known in the underworld for going to any lengths. When the government had contracted him to eliminate Rose Quartz and the Crystal Gems, the usual methods would not work.

It took several years of ingratiation and seduction, but eventually Rose was gone, the child remaining. Without Rose Quartz's protection, the government didn't have a problem dealing with the rest. All that remained of the Crystal Gems was his child.

Twelve years later, that child killed him using his gem powers and the malice of years of abuse. Turns out powers made him the better killer… Steven B. Universe became just as notorious a contract killer as his father, while barely a teenager.

He was of course on the government's radar. They wanted to make half-gem agents with powers like his. Some extremely unethical experiments later, and an orphan named Connie with a Jade embedded in her arm had been sent to take him out.

That hadn't gone as planned.

Now it was the two of them against the world. And the world had been winning. After tracking down a dimension hopping gem artifact, they'd headed into the multiverse to seek assistance from the only people they thought they could trust: themselves.

Unfortunately, the story had always been the same. Sometimes he had a different gemstone… or no stone at all… but the Stevens were all meek or pacifist and opposed to him on principle. The Connie's were all similarly opposed. Always together he noted… no matter the dimension, no matter the circumstances, always a Steven and a Connie.

He'd mull over the cosmic significance of that another time.

And lastly… in all of these worlds… his Father was alive. And a good man. And he'd been born out of love. And Connie's parents were alive. And she hadn't been kidnapped and experimented on. He felt jealous rage; why had he and Connie suffered so much while all the others had it made?

* * *

“You wanna fight too? His Connie asked.

“Yeah… I got a few things to let out. And maybe then we can just drop this whole multiverse recruiting plan.”

“Doesn't seem to be panning out.”

“You're right.”

“So here's a thought… rather than take them back to our world… wanna just stay here?”

“Not a bad idea.” He looked at the frightened pair native to this dimension. “Need to free up some space though… I don't think there's room for four of us.”

“Uh… yeah, there's plenty of room!” The other Steven shouted at him. “Look, if you want to stay here we can help you. We do second chances here. We can help you be better.”

“I don't want a new life.” Steven said. He and Connie had spied on their counterparts before approaching. Seen what they had. “I want yours.”

“What?”

“My father hated me. I was a burden. My world hates me. I'm a freak.” A pink disc materialized in his outstretched palm. It looked like the shield… but perfectly flat instead of a dome. And with serrated edges. And it began to spin-up like a buzzsaw. “A world that doesn't fear and loathe me. A world where I have a family who cares about me…" His face flashed with sharp teeth and malice. "I'D KILL FOR THAT!”


	2. Going to a Con

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was gonna be a nice fluff piece about them going to a con, doing costumes and having fun and making oh so many references to other things. And possibly Amethyst and Peridot also having con hijinx. Sadly, lost my motivation on it pretty quickly. 
> 
> This was intended to take place shortly after Lapis left with the Barn, with Peridot working to get out of her depressed state.

“A convention?”

The proposal had certainly taken Connie by surprise. Yes, they were both huge nerds. But neither had ever been to one. Steven due to a general lack of socialization outside Beach City, and Connie due the overclocked protectiveness of parental units.

Of course… a lot of things changed in the last year. She came out to her parents as a secret swordfighter and gained a lot of freedom. Steven's dad had come into money and things like vacations and road trips outside of gem missions were far more practical. And they'd been able to spend a lot of time together over the summer, causing their media interests to synergize even more. And as summer came to a close...

“Peridot found it. I guess some actors from Camp Pining Hearts are gonna be there and she went berserk.” Steven explained over the Skype chat. A moment later a link popped up in the chat. “So Amethyst got some money from Dad to take her. Cheer her up since… she's been down. And then they asked if I wanted to go. And I thought… maybe we could go…”

“I dunno if Mom would go for that…” Connie flipped through the webpage. The convention was at a resort hotel at a state park in Empire state. Events were both in the hotel and on the park grounds. There were panels sure… but also a giant water balloon fight, a beach rave, a ‘horror hike’, and all sorts of other cool activities. It looked like an amazing weekend. Too amazing. “...without responsible chaperoning.”

“Well Amethyst and Peridot will be there.”

“Amethyst.” Connie repeated. “Responsible.” She paused for effect.

“And Peridot! She's like a scientist! I'm sure your parents would accept that!”

“I mean… I can ask. The worst that can happen is they say no.” Connie shrugged.

“Let me know if you can go! I'm super excited! And Pearl already said she'd help us make cosplay!”

* * *

After a few hours of deliberation of how to frame it… Connie decided to broach the topic over dinner. Her dad had cooked… which meant her mother should be in a good mood. She ate slowly at her baked beans and macaroni, waiting for the precise moment to strike.

“So Connie, how's your summer homework going?” Her Dad asked.

“I actually finished the last of it today. Three weeks early.” Connie answered.

“Nice job dear. Getting things done early is a great habit. You get to relax while all the procrastinators stress out.” She issued the same anecdote Connie had heard from her many times. “Although we do need to plan a trip for back to school shopping… I was thinking…”

“Actually, before we plan that, I wanted to ask something.” Connie interrupted.

“What is it?”

“Well… the weekend before school resumes, I got invited to go somewhere with Steven and the gems.” Connie said. “So not that weekend… but we could go shopping before that.”

“Oh? Is it another of those gem missions?” She asked with concern. Connie grinned internally. She took the bait.

“Oh no, nothing dangerous like that.” She assured her. “The gems are taking Steven to an anime convention in Empire and invited me.” Now… don't ask which gems. Don't ask which gems. Don't ask which gems…

“Who's going with him?”

Damn it.

“Peridot and Amethyst.” She knew better than to try and stretch the truth. “Steven's dad might be going but he's not sure yet. And he's funding everything.” Ok… she'd made that last bit up she knew she could trust Greg to play along.

“Hmm…”

“Well, I don't have a problem with it.” Her Dad chimed in. “Triple adult supervision.”

“One is Amethyst. That's like minus one adult.” Her mom asserted. Connie held her poker face.

“It's actually a really unique convention with a bunch of outdoor activities too. And it's in a state park.” Connie said. “I'd really like to go.” Her mom still looked skeptical, but her dad looked sympathetic.

“Honey… I think she can go.” Her dad said. “I mean, I was younger than her when I snuck away to a musical festival for a weekend. And she was responsible and asked.”

“Wait, you did what?”

“Long long time ago.” Her dad winked at her. “Ancient history.”

“Are you making that up?”

“What makes you think that?”

The back and forth dissolved into flirting and Connie waited patiently for a resolution and an answer to the original question.

“Well… I will need to talk to them myself first… but you can go.” Her mom said. “Just remember to be safe.”

“Thank you mom! And don't worry! Compared to fighting gems, I don't see how it could be any safer than it already is.”

She excused herself from the table, washed her own dinner plate, and then bolted back to her room and cell phone.

_ C: I'm in. _

_ C: Assuming Ame and Peri pass Mom's grilling _

_ S: YASSSSSSSS _

* * *

_ _

“What are you gonna be?” Steven pointed at Amethyst.

“A responsible adult who will watch out for you two the entire time.” Amethyst returned the appropriate response.

“And what are you gonna be?” He pointed at Peridot.

“A responsible gem who will watch out for you two the entire time… and not be so intensely distracted by meeting Percy that I forget your there.”

“Dude we talked about this. The guy's name is William, Percy is his character.” Amethyst said.

“It hardly matters for the purpose of this hypothetical interrogation.” She waved her hand.

“Alright… one more go…” Steven looked over his notepad. “The arrangements are…”

“We've got a room with two beds on the 3rd floor. Gems like us don't need to sleep so we'll be up all night when you two are asleep.”

“Will we be eating fast food the whole time?”

“Hardly.” Peridot responded. “I don't eat. What Amethyst eats doesn't matter. While we will probably have one or two meals at the hotel restaurant; I'll be preparing healthy shelf-stable snacks and picnic lunches for the children.”

“Perfect answer!” Steven clapped. “Last one… if we get seperated…”

“We've got the phones… a schedule of regular check-ins…” Amethyst went over on her fingers as Steven nodded.

“And I put a tracking chip in you last night.” Peridot added. Steven started to nod again, then froze.

“You what?”

“Well not really, but wouldn't that be a reassuring sentiment for her?” She reasoned.

“Ok.” Steven wiped away the panicked bead of sweat. “You're ready.”

* * *

The “interrogation” went off without incident. Greg would not be going; Sadie Killer and the Suspects had a gig. But Amethyst and Peridot were judged suitable chaperones and all was well. After her mom left for her night shift at work, Connie felt the stress melt away as she sank into Steven's couch. Steven had disappeared into the temple with Amethyst to get a “surprise” and left her alone with Garnet.

“Man… all that maneuvering was so stressful… I hope it's worth it.” Connie contemplated.

“It will be.” Garnet told her.

“Is that a future vision?”

“More a future feeling.” She answered. “You need to plan.”

“Hmm?”

“Your costumes.”

Connie froze. She had forgotten to bring up the idea of cosplay to her parents. Letting her go was one thing… letting her go and wear an outlandish or perhaps even risque costume was another. That might be a bridge too far.

“Don't panic. They won't object to cosplay in principal. I'll let you know if they would object to particular costumes.” She sat down next to Connie and phased away her shades.

“Um… ok…” She began to think.

“Don't be concerned about practicality. Just think about two or three you'd want for now.” Garnet advised.

“Well… Lisa…” Connie thought back to the day she and Steven spent in Rose's Room. Garnet's third eye glanced upward in contemplation.

“That's fine.”

“How about… Korra?”

“Your father would object to the midriff.”

“Jade Harley?”

“Too close to furry for your mother.” Her third eye squinted slightly.

“Ruby Rose?”

“Season 1 yes. Season 4 no.”

“Maka Albarn?”

“... yes.” Garnet answered after several seconds of hesitation.

“You uh… didn't sound to sure there.”

“Toss up honestly. Worth the risk.”

Before Connie could contemplate what that meant, the temple door opened as Steven and Amethyst emerged. Steven was wearing the same Archimicerus costume she remembered from before… except here it was outside Rose's room.

“I can't believe how fast Pearl was!” Steven said excitedly as looked the outfit over.

“She used to make outfits for Garnet and Rose all the time. Was kind of a hobby for a while.” Amethyst said.

“But why was she making clothes when you could all shape-”

“Connie, you're up!” Amethyst called out to her.

“What?” Connie asked.

“Pearl's helping us with costumes, remember?”

“Wait, right now?”

“I said you needed to plan.” Garnet's visor reappeared. In a flash of purple light, a purple version of Pearl was pulling Connie off the couch by the arm.

“Right this was miss Maheswaran…” Amethyst mocked Pearl's voice. “You're late for your fitting!” Amethyst walked her briskly through the temple door into Pearl's room as it shut behind them. Steven looked at Garnet.

“Is she gonna do the Lisa costume?”

“For one of them.”

“Yes.” Steven grinned.


	3. Stevenswitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The original plan here was for there to be a corrupted gem whose power was dimension hopping, and accidentally switch canon!Steven with Connieswap!Steven.
> 
> It would take the combined efforts of the characters on both sides to switch them back, and certainly raised some eyebrows on both sides with the nature of the parallel universes.
> 
> Ultimately, both canon and Connieswap moved on before I made much progress and gave up. Still, enjoy both pairs watching some horror media together, with the spooky gem never showing up as intended.
> 
> Fun Fact - Steven and Connie are watching everymanHYBRID, and the Connieswap pair are watching TribeTwelve; two different horror web series that crossover with eachother. So it was supposed to foreshadow the crossover.

UNIVERSE C-26

Steven and Connie both lay on his bed, attention focused on the TV. It was half past nine, and an hour and a half into what was likely the scariest movie either of them had ever watched. The found footage presentation and paranoia inducing pacing… they made Steven feel more scared than fighting any corrupted gem he could remember. 

He snuck a glance at Connie as the characters on screen conversed. While the occasional jump scare got to her just as bad, she seemed to be approaching it more as a puzzle to be solved. When they’d paused for snacks, she had theories on the monster and its motivations and the mysterious connection between the characters and an identically named set of characters the monster supposedly killed decades ago.

The rain started outside the beach house as on-screen the characters drove into a public storage facility. They had a key to a unit that might hold clues.

“Man… why are they going at night?” Steven asked.

“Narrative convenience.” Connie half rolled her eyes. “They’ll get into a dark and claustrophobic space, find a plot device of some kind, and then the monster will jump them.”

And she pretty much called it. The door to the storage unit slammed trapping the three characters in darkness. The monster’s appearance was first signaled by a loud, electronic buzz; the malfunction of the camera’s microphone. As cell phone lights of the characters lit the room and revealed the monster, a sound far louder than what the TV could produce shook the whole beachhouse. Thunder. The TV flipped off, and the lights still on in the kitchen also cut out.

“Whoa, that was loud.”

“ A power outage?! Really?” Connie planted her face in the pillow in front of her. “I thought you got power from the temple?”

“No, it’s on the grid. At least since that time Pearl EMP’d Beach City.” Steven tried to see Connie’s reaction in the dark, but it just turned out to be an awkward silence.

“Ok, how did I miss that story?”

“Well, back before Peridot showed up…”

UNIVERSE C-29

Steven and Connie both sat on his bed, attention focused on the TV. It was half past nine, and armed with bowls of cereal, they watched what Steven had described as “my Dad’s friend’s horror web series”. Steven had described it to Connie the night before, but had adamantly refused to watch it with the sun down.

“So, it's about this guy whose cousin dies, so he watches old home movies of him and discovers this monster that comes after him… anyway there's lots of bits with this crazy distorted music that Dad helped him with… like there’s this bit with a creepy backwards cover of Mr. Sandman…”

Connie was staying with the Universes for the weekend. All three gems had left on a mission and she was supposed to stay with her dad. But then Dad had a job. A big job. So she’d pitched the idea and Steven’s irresistible puppy dog eyes forced his parent’s hands.

The current segment on screen was a recording of a live stream. The main character had been taking viewers questions, when the video cut out. Distorted, reversed music began to play as the video became black and white with super high contrast, a silhouetted figure appeared whose only features was the shining white grin… and then a large eye subduing its whole face. Connie set her spoon down on the force field that served as her table.

“This part is freaky… that’s the Mr. Sandman!” Steven pointed his spoon at the screen. “Oh, jump scare coming…”

“Steven, you don’t have to warn me every…” The shadow figure lunged at the screen with a screech, morphing into the monster, which then further began to morph into a black mass of chaos that hit a little too close to recent memories…

With a flinch, she had instinctively put a force field between herself and the screen.


	4. Rhodonite Origin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, the timeline here is actually really dumb, as my first bit implies that the Ruby Squad got sent to Earth right around the time Rhodonite!Ruby first meets Rhodonite!Pearl, but I had apparently forgotten that Rhodonite had been around for 1000+ years canonically? Or maybe Rhodonite's time frame was unclear in the canon at this point? IDK.
> 
> Anyway, a Ruby meets a Pearl, and they were supposed to get left alone at Morganite's villa a bunch and gradually fall for eachother, including sappy love song.

“YES FIRE AGATE!” A dozen Rubies saluted in unison in her office.

“Diamonds, not so damn loud!” She quieted them. Indoor voices were getting harder and harder to come by in Rubies and Quartzes these days. She missed the olden days where you could just quietly hand them their orders in writing, which they’d commit to memory and burn on the spot. Era 1 rubies were so much better. Speaking of which…

“I have an assignment from Yellow Diamond. A squad is being sent after a ship bound for Sol-3 that’s gone missing.” She glanced up from her desk at their eager faces. 

“2F6-2ED, based on your track record…” Fire Agate thought to herself that that wasn’t saying much, “you will lead the mission. Take 2F7-3AG and 2F9-6TH and go to bay 37. You’ll be meeting with 1F4-4ND, who has prior experience with the target planet, as well as a newbie you’ll be taking along to gain experience.” 

Fire Agate withdrew a transparent yellow command visor from her gem and gently tossed it at the tiny red gem. The others politely applauded as she put it on, and then she had to tune out a speech of gratitude 2F6 was making for having been given the mission. 2F6, 2F7, and 2F9 saluted before leaving. There were now 9 rubies. She sighed… this took way too long.

Almost a half hour later, there was only one left. 2F2-6VG. The “problem” one. And she seemed acutely aware that her being the last one left was a bad thing.

“Alright 2F2… let's chat.” Fire Agate put her feet on the desk and leaned back. “Your last assignment… care to tell me what happened?”

It was rhetorical. Fire Agate knew that. But she’d been doing this long enough to know that not all discipline problems could be solved with a whip.

“I… uh…” The Ruby hesitated. “I fused with the other two Rubies during the fight. And… we won.”

“And then?” Agate asked. Ruby said nothing. “And then?” She repeated, more angrily.

“We… I got us to leave our post.” She admitted. “We stayed fused and…” She hesitated some more.

“... 2F2…” Agate put her palm to her forehead. “I’ve seen this before. You can stop.”

“What?”

“Fusion addiction can happen. It's just a sad fact of life. Now, nothing serious happened this time… but we need to get this under control.” She told the Ruby. “I’m putting you on a low-stress, low-priority assignment… but alone. Get you away from the problem for a while.”

“But…”

“No buts.” Agate cut her off. “If after this little tour away this continues to be a problem…” She gestured to the gem just below her neck as if she was drawing her whip. “We try other methods. Clear?”

“Yes.” Ruby answered fearfully.

“Well then… there's a new colony being planned on Onos-1. Morganite 1F9-1XJ will be surveying the planet with a small entourage. You will be providing security. Report to bay 90.

**One Week Later**

Ruby stood at attention outside the newly constructed Villa on Onos-1. It had been carved into the side of a hill by a pair of Bismuths, overseen by a Peridot, all in the last two days as Ruby patrolled the perimeter. 

Aside from some small and actually kinda friendly animals, there wasn’t really anything to be securing against. Ruby knew quite well this was a punishment detail; she was just a placeholder on this mission. But if she didn’t act the part… well… Fire Agate didn’t use her whip nearly as much as other Agates, but it was not pretty when she did.

She snapped into a salute as the Morganite emerged from her ship with her entourage. She had a square, pale pink gem in her forehead, along with long white hair. Her whole body from the neck down was concealed by a regal purple cloak. 

Morganites were planners. Architects. Designers. They were the middle gems who made the diamonds orders happen. And they were notoriously vain about it. At all times they surrounded themselves with their own personal mini-courts: high grade Peridots, Bismuths and Lazuli’s who could create whatever Morganite envisioned. And of course, their Pearls. Ruby heard some of them bragged about getting another one for each new colony. She was surprised to only see one Pearl following behind her…

But oh stars was she a beautiful Pearl.

Morganite walked right past Ruby, shouting an order at one of the Bismuthes to fix some detail in the structure, and one of the Peridots following behind her said something sarcastic. Ruby kinda tuned it all out, her eyes locked on the Pearl, making a conscious effort to keep a neutral facial expression. But the Pearl still noticed, because she smiled gently at her as she passed.

The rest of that day wasn’t exactly productive. Despite the schematics for the villa having been sent ahead of her, Morganite’s personal dwelling wasn’t up to her expectations, and Ruby listened passively from outside and she snapped orders and corrections at the Bismuths. Also, upon seeing the landscape, she had additions she wanted made, like a greenhouse/solarium atop the hill and the addition of a waterfall to cover over a bare patch of dirt on the cliffside.

That night, Ruby went inside to make her standard report… which was that there was nothing to report. But procedure still mandated she report that. She passed the Bismuths, who sat near the doors looking tired and annoyed as they dared to show, as well as the Peridots who were assembling a large device in the main foyer. She approached the door to Morganite’s office.

“I’m sorry, but my Morganite is too busy to speak with you. I will gladly relay your message to her.”

She had been stopped at the door by the Pearl. And normally this would be an etiquette breach, but seeing as it was under Morganite’s orders Ruby didn’t really have any place to question it.

“Oh… well… just making a standard check in. Situation normal.”

“Thank you for your report.” Pearl bowed her head slightly.

…

“Is there something else?” She asked, as Ruby realized she’d been staring, a long uncomfortable silence between them.

“Uh… no! Thank you!” Ruby turned on her heels and walked stiffly away.


	5. Just a Bad Dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok... so this one may continue some day. Like I have several pages of notes, but this is all I've written so far.
> 
> I post it here mainly because, I want to see if anyone can guess what this is supposed to be.
> 
> And if you can guess, does the prospect excite you?

Connie awoke to the sight of wood. The wood of a classroom desk. Had she fallen asleep in class?! The instinctive panic of the very idea sent her head shooting up. But she was alone. And this wasn't her classroom.

The desks were a lot like those at her school, but the rest of the room was perplexing. Rather than a projector screen, the front of the room had an old fashioned chalkboard, flanked on either side by large monitors mounted near the ceiling. And attached to each of those monitors were security cameras pointing straight at the pod of desks at which she sat.

More perplexing… to her left, where there presumably should have been windows… there were massive metal plates. They seemed fastened in place by massive screws and bolts bigger than her forearms. They were a foreboding sight, despite the lack of context.

“Alright… calm down. Your in a classroom that's also a prison. This is just a nightmare.” She reasoned to herself. Probably too much stress from those standardized tests the teachers were ramping up for. She assumed a meditative pose; she'd been learning a lot from Steven about lucid dreaming. Unfortunately, most of her dreams had been too close to reality for her to catch on. This was an opportunity. It would be so cathartic to trash a classroom with her broadsword…

Try as she might, the weapon would not be willed into existence. After failing to implode the monitors with her mind failed, she realized that lucid dreaming was not happening. She stood up. Was this a dream? She stepped towards the door. It opened with no resistance.

She stepped out into a hallway. Every inch of wall that wasn't a door was filled with lockers. This looked more like her school… except for more cameras. At the far end of the hall were stairs leading down, with another monitor mounted above it.


	6. Like Morning Follows Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was an attempted song fic for "Songs of Another Universe", which was a series of song fics set to music from RWBY. 
> 
> It was originally written during Diamond Days... during the gap between the penultimate episode and Change Your Mind, when Steven and Connie were stuck in the cell and we really didn't know where it was going to end.
> 
> I only wrote through the first verse. The second verse was going to be Steven and Connie singing, with Stevonnie on the final chorus. The original song has a rap break in the middle but it really didn't fit so I was just gonna skip it.
> 
> Right aligned italics - Rose singing  
Left aligned italics - Greg singing  
Center aligned italics - Duet

Captivity. Day 3.

The protein bars ran out yesterday. Thankfully, water was appearing in the cell with them every time they went to sleep. Someone at least knew that was vital to keeping Connie alive. From the tiny window above, they heard no sounds. Saw no lights. Everything but themselves was still.

They had been silent for a few hours, lying side by side, both lost in thought. Connie was in higher spirits than he was: reasoning that the water meant that someone out there was helping. All Steven could think about was what had happened to the gems. As well as dwell on how poorly his “dream expedition” had gone. He'd called back up in the form of... up to three gems and his dad. In hindsight... what were they supposed to do? Even if they could make it to Homeworld, how were they supposed to get them out?

If anything, he'd summoned them into a death trap.

His previous nightmare had been distinctly non magical, but involved a shattered Bismuth and his Dad crushed and bleeding under Yellow Diamond's...

“Steven...” Connie spoke quietly to him, about a foot away. With the recollection of that memory, Steven realized his eyes were watering again.

“I... I'm ok...” Steven muttered.

“We can't sit here and cry...” She said gently. “Got to preserve our fluids...”

“I'm sorry...”

“Don't be sorry. It's ok...”

“Not... about that... I'm sorry you're stuck here with me...” Connie sighed.

“We've already talked about this... it's no one's fault but the diamonds.”

“But if I'd...”

“I coulda done things differently too. We can't change it. We shouldn't dwell on it.” Steven heard her logic. But after three days... his emotions wouldn't have it.

“... we're gonna die...” He muttered.

“Steven!” Connie put her hands on his shoulders. “Don't think like that...”

“We're gonna die and it's my fault!” His emotional damn burst. Connie pulled him into a hug, any thoughts of resisting tears forgotten for both of them.

“We'll get through this together... we're jam buds...” She tried to comfort him.

“The gems are probably all shattered and we're gonna die and it's all because I couldn't fix things!” Steven cried, pushing her away and climbing to his feet, seeking out the dark corner of their cell. “I make bad decisions and I get everyone around me hurt or worse...” He pounded on the wall with anger. “I really am my mom...”

Connie was at a loss. They'd both cried things out with each other before, but she'd never seen him like this. What could she possibly say? What could anyone say? What... is glowing over there?

As he was slumped in the corner weeping, his gem was glowing. Projecting... like when Pearl had shown her battlefield memories during training. Steven's tears quieted slightly... this was new to him too apparently.

This was a memory of Pink Diamond. Or as she was at the time… Rose Quartz. Then came a familiar voice, and neither of them were sure how they heard it, except in their own heads.

“Rose!” Greg Universe called from the edge of the cave beneath the temple. Rose had one foot on the stairs to the warp pad, but stopped in her tracks as the human scrambled into the cave after her. “Rose, talk to me! Why are you doing this?” Greg sounded genuinely distressed. Rose sighed.

“It’s time for you to move on Greg.” Rose told him.

“What?”

“This has been… wonderful…” She said wistfully. “But I can’t.”

“Why not? You’re not making any sense…”

“Greg, I’m not who you think I am!” Rose turned to face him. “If you knew me… the real me… you’d want nothing to do with me.” Greg looked stunned. “You deserve better. So go.”

“Well then why don’t you tell me and I’ll decide for myself!” Greg shouted back. In response, the door behind Rose opened, washing both of them in Pink light. Rose turned towards it… confusion in her eyes.

_ No… I don’t want to show him… _

Both observers heard the thought but Rose’s mouth did not move and Greg did not react. The door remained open.

_ No, I don’t want to show him! _

She willed the door to close. It remained open. She could not deny herself.

“The last time I showed a human…” Rose spoke quietly. “Was five hundred years ago. And afterwards… he ran.”

“Whatever this is…” Greg held out his hand to her. “It doesn’t matter to me. So please…”

Before she could second guess herself, Rose pulled them both into her room.

And moments later, the room recreated a battlefield.

Greg looked around bewildered, Rose stood solemnly as gems fell around her on both sides. Shards flying through the air as colorful shrapnel.

“I told you… about the war. I never told you how bad it was…”

\-----

[ _ You don’t know what it’s like to live in shadows _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKXhmK4SYmk)

_ Always regretting what you’ve done _

Rose watched an Amethyst cry out in pain as her head split in two along with her gem. She was one she’d met in Alpha, disguised as Rose Quartz, who had later joined the rebellion. Her attacker… one of her sisters also from Alpha, with tears in her eyes. She had remained loyal to Pink Diamond. Neither knew they were both fighting for the same gem. That one had killed the other… for no reason. Rose bent over and examined her shards.

_ Spending time _

_ Counting every little mistake _

_ Knowing it’s always easier to run _

367,140 gems shattered between the two sides. In the ensuing 5,000 years, she’d cried for every single one. All because of her. Her decisions. What would Garnet think if she knew? What did Pearl really think of her, but could not say? How could she face any gem or human and claim to be righteous? She thought she would end the war… then 238,122 more gems were placed into the unending torment of corruption.

She was a monster. She deserved to be alone.

_ You don’t have to spend your life looking backwards _

_ We’ve been through this over and over again _

Greg had been told about the war. Bits from Rose… bits from Garnet… even a little from Pearl. And yes, it was horrible. But from his point of view… it didn’t look all that different from the kinds of wars humans fought. He didn’t have the context. He didn’t know that Rose was the leader behind both armies. He didn’t know it was actually all her fault.

_ You can’t just wish it away _

_ The past is the past, it will never change _

_ That was before, this is now _

Greg tooks Rose’s shaking hand. He understood implicitly that this kind of war could come again if her home planet ever came back.

_ And when he have a chance to make it better if we try _

_ But I will not endanger one more friend _

_ You’re free to do the things you want _

_ But listen, so am I _

_ I made my choice _

_ And now I’m making mine _

They talked. They talked for hours and it tore at her soul that she could never tell the whole truth. She learned things about Greg he’d withheld. His struggles with his family… human friends who died before they’d had time to live. The mistakes she’d made as a “perfect” diamond… mistakes were common for humans. The scale was certainly different… but perhaps... 

Perhaps the life of a human was what she was fit for.

_ Go where you need to _

_ Know I won’t leave you _

_ I’ll follow you like morning follows night _

_ You can run till your pain’s through _

_ One thing I won’t do _

_ Is leave you alone to face the fight! _

The memory of his parents faded from the room, leaving them both stunned. They had the context. Steven instinctively knew… this was from just before she’d decided to have him. He’d thought many things about that decision over the years… that she’d created him for a magical destiny… or to run from her own problems…   
  


She wanted to be like a human. It was her trying to be better.

He didn’t feel like he’d done that great a job.


End file.
